Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Freethinker

Home
Nonreligious
‘Sexual sadist’ Catholic priest jailed for more than ten years

‘Sexual sadist’ Catholic priest jailed for more than ten years

Last updated on: January 29, 2021 at 10:06 pm by Barry Duke

‘Sexual sadist’ Catholic priest jailed for more than ten years 2021-01-29T22:06:01+02:00 Barry Duke

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

JOSEPH Quigley is paedophile priest who was sent to the US for ‘therapy’ before being reinstated as a minister at a time when Cardinal Vincent Nichols was Archbishop of Birmingham.

Nichols is now Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior Catholic in England and Wales – and claims to be deeply troubled over abuse in his church.

According to this report, Quigley was sentenced today (Friday) at Warwick Crown Court to eleven and a half years in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register. The judge described him as a “sexual sadist and voyeur”.

In December, Quigley was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual assault, one count of child cruelty and two counts of false imprisonment.

The former national education adviser for Roman Catholic schools sexually and physically abused a boy and locked him in a church crypt.

Image via YouTube

Following Quigley’s sentencing, Richard Scorer, above, acting on behalf of an abuse survivor, said:

Quigley abused his position within the church to inflict physical and sexual abuse on his victims. He clearly felt that he was above the law – fortunately, the verdict of the jury and the sentence passed today show that he isn’t.

Following discussions with my client I am very concerned that the church knew about the risks posed by Quigley for longer than they have admitted. The Archdiocese of Birmingham ought to come clean about what really happened here, how long they knew about Quigley’s behaviour, and why the police weren’t involved earlier.

Quigley, who held various prestigious roles within the Catholic Church, was known as “Father Joe” at the time of the abuse, jurors heard. The court was told that the offences took place while he was the parish priest in a Warwickshire church in the early 2000s.

In 2008, when a complaint was made by a third party about Quigley’s relationship with a sixth form student, he was “removed from high priesting” and sent to an institute in the US for six months. Following his return to the UK after “therapy”, he was allowed to carry out school inspections and perform Mass for children.

Adrian Langdale QC, prosecuting, said:

After six months of therapy, he was returned to the UK and put on restricted duties. It would seem the Catholic Church believed that by doing so it had met its duties.

He said the police had not informed of the priest’s crimes.

At Quigley’s trial in December, Langdale said:

This case involves allegations of historic abuse at the hands of this defendant … He was a Catholic priest, in a position of power and trust over the complainant.

The abuse took two forms. First that it was overtly sexual by nature, such as touching and massaging the legs of the young complainant up to and around the groin area.

There were other acts which were more like punishment of a sado-masochistic nature, such as caning or hitting boys with hurling sticks or shutting boys in the crypt of the church.

It will seem extraordinary that a person’s religious beliefs could make them blind to what was wrong, but this is why Father Joe, as he was known, was able to get away with the abuse for so long.

A victim of Quigley said:

Myself, my partner and my family would like to say a huge thank you to Warwickshire Police, specifically Detective Sergeant Abigail Simpson for her amazing efforts and incredible support.

To anyone who has experience abuse, please speak out and get the support you deserve. As scary as it may seem, living in your own head reliving the abuse is far scarier.

I am glad that I have finally seen Quigley put behind bars and justice has been done – but for me the sentence is a life-long one.

Simpson, the investigating officer , said:

I welcome today’s sentence. I hope this sends strong a message to other perpetrators of child sexual abuse that we will always thoroughly investigate sexual offences against children and do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice, regardless of when the offences took place.

Thankfully, Quigley is now behind bars paying the price for his reprehensible crimes committed against a vulnerable child. The victim in this case has demonstrated immense bravery in disclosing what happened to him, and I hope today’s sentence offers some comfort and closure.

I would urge anyone who may have been a victim of sexual abuse to come forward and report this to us, regardless of when the abuse happened. We will always investigate offences of this nature and are committed to ensuring victims have the necessary support in place to help them.

Image via Facebook

Last November Nichols said he was committed to overseeing a major overhaul of safeguarding procedures in England and Wales following an independent report that sharply criticised his handling of abuse cases.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales announced sweeping changes to its child protection system on November 20, 10 days after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) issued a scathing report on the Church.

In a personal statement shared with journalists at a press conference, the cardinal said that the report had:

Brought together a picture of abuse inflicted in the Catholic Church over a period of 50 years. It is a terrible picture. I remain shocked and ashamed. It is a reality that hangs like a dark cloud over my heart and mind.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Birmingham said the crimes for which Quigley had been sentenced:

Are deplorable and unacceptable. There is no excuse for any kind of abuse, and the Archdiocese apologises for the suffering he has caused. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all those who have suffered, and we again acknowledge their courage in coming forward to provide evidence during the trial.

In light of this case, the Archdiocese has commissioned Barnardo’s to undertake an independent review of its actions.

We cannot change the past, but if there have been failings we must identify them and learn from them so that they do not happen ever again. Joseph Quigley will now face church disciplinary processes that will address the seriousness of his offences.

• Please report any typos/errors to [email protected]

If you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee – and boy, do I get through a LOT of coffee keeping this site active – please click the link below.

I’d love a cup of coffee

Previous Post

January 29, 2021

Ultra-Orthodox Jews pose a 'staggering threat' to health and safety

Next Post

January 30, 2021 Op-ed: A bit of a kerfuffle

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Archive My Atheism News Opinion Reviews Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 March 2007 April 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What are the names of the two witnesses in Revelation who prophesy for 1,260 days?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter and Paul They are not named Enoch and Elijah Moses and Elijah

Books by This Author Books by The Freethinker

See All Titles »